the question is, how will the biden administration handle it? it's "way too early" for this. good morning! and welcome to "way too early," the show that knows some very, very happy grandparents this morning. i am kasie hunt on this tuesday, march 9th. we'll start with the news. the cdc has released new guidelines for those who are fully vaccinated, offering hope that life could soon return to normal. >> we've been through a lot this past year, and with more and more people getting vaccinated each day, we are starting to turn a corner. fully vaccinated people can visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or physical distancing. visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk of severe covid-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing. and refrain from quarantine and testing following a known covid-19 exposure if the vaccinated person remains asymptomatic. >> however, the cdc continues to recommend that fully vaccinated people wear well-fitted masks, avoid large gatherings, and physically distance themselves from others when they're out in public. and vaccination doesn't mean that people can move freely about the country. cdc said people should continue to follow their local health department's travel recommendations. the "associated press" reports some health experts are arguing the guidance says nothing about going to restaurants or other places, even though governors are lifting restrictions on businesses. emergency physician and public health professor dr. leana wen told the "ap," quote, the cdc is missing a major opportunity to tie vaccination status with reopening guidance. by coming out with limited guidance, they are missing the window to influence state and national policy. here's hoping as more of us get vaccinated, we'll have more information and the freedom to do some things that we've all been missing out on for quite some time now, basically a year as of this week. and speaking of that, president joe biden is set to deliver his first prime time address this thursday, and it will commemorate the one-year anniversary of the covid-19 shutdowns that rocked the nation. according to the white house, biden is going to use the moment to reflect on the vast sacrifices made by the american people and the grave loss that communities and families across the country have suffered. biden will also highlight the role that americans will play in beating the virus, while moving the country toward normalcy. the covid-19 pandemic has upended everybody's life in the u.s. it's disrupted the economy. since the start, more than 29 million americans have been diagnosed with covid-19 and nearly 530,000 americans have died. it's been an incredibly difficult year. all right, to politics now. republican senator roy blunt of missouri has become the latest member of his party to nonis announce he won't be seeking re-election. he served since 1997, including two terms in the senate, said he's "tried to do my best to represent missourians over the last two decades." he is the fifth republican senator to announce plans to retire, joining senators richard shelby of alabama, rob portman of ohio, pat toomey of pennsylvania, and richard burr of north carolina. so far, no democratic senators have announced plans to retire in 2022. and one thing that ties all the these men together is that they are in the pre-trump mold of the governing republican party, not the post-trump era. it's going to make a lot of space, potentially, for more candidates, more senators who mold themselves in the way that trump has envisioned the republican party. it could change things quite a bit in the senate. meanwhile, the "washington post" is reporting that the republican national committee is moving part of its spring donor retreat next month to former president trump's mar-a-lago club in palm beach. the move highlights trump's continued grip over the gop as top republicans debate the future of the party post trump. the "post" notes that the decision to move part of the event to mar-a-lago comes mit a spat over the rnc and other republican organizations' use of trump's likeness and image in fund-raising as well as anxiety about how trump plans to use his influence in the 2022 midterms. and there's a new illustration of that. late yesterday, the former president sent out a statement, encouraging donors to give money to his save america pac, rather than giving to republicans that he has dubbed rinos -- republicans in name only. joining us now, co-founder of punch bowl news, jake sherman. he's also an msnbc political contributor. jake, good morning. always great to see you. let's talk about roy blunt for a second. he is, of course, the senior senator from missouri, the junior senator being josh hawley, who is clearly trying to set himself up to be the heir to whatever trump has created here for the gop. but this, putting his name on that list, means that mitch mcconnell is losing a significant group of senators who have been in the chamber a long time, who are willing to work with democrats to get things done, who take a view of legislating that's more sober than some of these other candidates we've seen who are so media-focused in the trump mold. what does this mean and what does this say about what governing here in washington is going to look like in the next four years? >> well, good morning, kasie. i think a few things. i think we're getting a senate full of josh hawleys, instead of a senate full of roy blunts, richard shelbys and rob portmans. i think that's the reality of it. i think we're getting a republican party that's reflective, more reflective, perhaps, of the trump era, than the george w. bush era. and what you said at the top is so right, mitch mcconnell is losing a lot of allies -- roy blunt, richard shelby, rob portman, potentially chuck grassley, who is 87 years old, pat toomey also, as you're showing right there, is a close ally of mitch mcconnell's as well in some cases. so, you just have -- that's -- i mean, in a chamber of only 50 republicans at the moment and 100 lawmakers, about you lose five, that's a pretty big punch. i'm not saying that mitch mcconnell's in any danger, but this is looking like the marsha blackburn/josh hawley senate more than the mitch mcconnell senate at the moment. >> yeah. i mean, it's really -- i don't think -- it's hard to overstate the significance of the shift, to have all of these members on their way out while their replacements coming in just have completely different tone and tenor and approach to the job. i think it's really going to change the way things are done. jake, let's talk for a second about the covid relief package. the vote seems to be sliding by a day as they try to get the text together for it. do you see any challenges on the horizon getting this back through the house? i mean, progressives have been critical of joe manchin for essentially forcing them to negotiate with themselves, lowering that unemployment number. do you see any problems? i mean, i have a hard time imagining someone's going to stand up and say, yeah, actually, i'm going to stand in the way of democratic president's first major priority. >> no, i mean, if it was republicans, they probably would, and they would hold out for that last $100 a week in unemployment insurance that joe manchin and senate democrats cut. i do think it's going to pass, kasie. i think it's going to pass easily. but remember, i mean, nancy pelosi has a five-seat margin before she is in big trouble or before she can't pass a bill. but no, i do think the progressive left is going to stay with joe biden here, is going to deliver him his victory without much turbulence. i was a bit surprised about that. i thought that there would be more kind of tumult on the left, but there's not. and that's a big win for nancy pelosi, chuck schumer, and joe biden, to get this bill across the finish line this week. i was skeptical, and we've talked about it before, that they would get this done by the march 14th deadline, but here we are and it looks like they're going to. >> and it does, i think, say something about how nancy pelosi has focused on managing that part of her caucus in a way that, certainly, speaker boehner, speaker ryan struggled to manage mark meadows and company to the point that, of course, john boehner's new book doesn't even have mark meadows' name on the jacket! i'm very excited to talk about that when it comes out. punch bowl news' jake sherman, thank you very much. we appreciate it. let's go to the border where there are new concerns about another potential humanitarian crisis. two sources confirm to nbc news that more than 3,200 unaccompanied migrant children are in border patrol custody. that number is a record. nearly half of the children have been held beyond the three-day legal limit, some in holding cells that aren't designed for kids. and according to a source, nearly 170 of these children are under the age of 13. "the new york times" was first to report the number of detained children, and the paper, citing international customs and border patrol documents -- internal, excuse me, internal customs and border patrol documents, reported that the number has tripled in the last two weeks. homeland security secretary alejandro ma lorekas led officials to the border to tour the facilities. white house officials plan to brief president biden about what they have found. all right, still ahead here, the very latest in the investigation into sexual harassment acquisitions against new york governor andrew cuomo. plus, a look at the reaction and fallout from prince harry and meghan markle's explosive interview with oprah. we're going to have those stories and a check on your weather when we come right back. weather when we come right back. it all starts with an invitation... ...to experience lexus. the invitation to lexus sales event. lease the 2021 nx 300 for $359 a month for 36 month's, and we'll make you're first month's payment. experience amazing. 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umbc point guard darnell rogers, who at 5'2" is believed to be the shortest scholarship player in d-1 basketball, entered the ncaa transfer portal yesterday. umbc is the latest of three stops in the redshirt senior's collegiate career. he still has two years to play at his next school after the ncaa granted winter athletes an additional year of eligibility because of the pandemic. rogers can withdraw his name from the transfer portal, if he decides to return to umbc. 5'2"! pretty cool. who knew? all right, time now for the weather. let's go to meteorologist bill karins for a check on the forecast. bill, happy tuesday! it's tuesday, right? is it tuesday? i think it's tuesday. >> oh, it is going to be a happy tuesday, kasie, yeah. this is going to be a fantastic day! i mean, i don't know if you saw the forecast, you know, all week long for the last, like, i don't know, maybe seven days? we've been saying, the warmth is going to finally head to the eastern half of the country, and today is the day. it's still going to be warm in the middle of the nation, where you've been actually enjoying this spring fling for, you know, like a week. but look at today's temperatures. 70s in charlotte and richmond, new york city getting up near 60 degrees. this will be the warmest in the northeast in a while. and how about the middle of the country? omaha 75 today? minneapolis at 68. and then it continues right into wednesday, this same region of the country's going to be very warm. and we will have some pollen outbreaks and people will be complaining about that, but everyone suffering with winter snow and cold, especially in the northeast and great lakes, this will be a welcome change. of course, this is march, so you do expect it not to last. it will cool off this upcoming weekend, chicago 43, new york city back into the upper 40s, but we'll take a three-day warm spring fling, if we can get it. in the west is where all the bad and active weather is, a lot of stormy weather today in areas of california, but we need it. we've been very dry and we will see some rainfall forecast, especially in the mountains and areas of southern california and even some snowpack on top of that. so, kasie, as advertised, spring warmth for the eastern half of the country today. make your outdoor lunch plans, and especially this afternoon. it should be gorgeous. >> can't wait. wonderful way to start the day with you, bill karins. thank you very much. we'll see you tomorrow, my friend. and still ahead here, first there were calls to resign. now new york governor andrew cuomo is facing an impeachment effort from republicans. g an imt effort from republicans. are waking up to what's possible with rybelsus®. ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ ♪ my only sunshine... ♪ rybelsus® works differently than any other diabetes pill to lower blood sugar in all 3 of these ways... increases insulin... decreases sugar... and slows food. the majority of people taking rybelsus® lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than 7. people taking rybelsus® lost up to 8 pounds. rybelsus® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking rybelsus® with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration which may worsen kidney problems. wake up to what's possible with rybelsus®. ♪ please don't take my sunshine away ♪ you may pay as little as $10 per prescription. ask your healthcare provider about rybelsus® today. was that your great-grandmother, keeping the family together? 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